The Necromancer's Servant
by eggsandmarshmallows
Summary: Eve's mission is far from over. Unknown forces are now on to their next move and Eve has to find out what is really going on, whether she likes it or not. However, she is not riding this destiny alone. Sequel to Apple of Eve
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hello! Here are a few points to remember!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson Series! However, I claim that the main protagonist and Rook the satyr are my creations. Other characters seen here that are not part of the story of Rick Riordan is either part of Greek Mythology or are creations of my fellow comrades.

This fanfiction is clearly fictional. Certain places and characters are the pigment of my own imagination and may not be involved with reality. Certain events, characters, and places that may match current or past events, are extremely coincidental.

This story is the sequel to the story, "Apple of Eve." Also, if you are curious about the events that occurred EXACTLY before this arc, you may refer to the story, "The Centaur's Lust", a story created by a dear friend of mine. However, he has yet to publish it. So I'll let you know when it is out.

Note to my friends whose characters are in this fanfic: In case I did something wrong with your character, my advanced apologies. I did my very best to make them the characters you originally designed. So please don't come to my place and yell at me for writing the wrong skills of your character, because I had no idea! Anyway, I hope I made them what you expect them to be. XDD

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><p>THE NECROMANCER'S SERVANT<p>

_"Thank you for the cookies. I look forward to tossing them."_- Julius Benedict, The Twins

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><p>PROLOGUE<p>

Guess what? I dreamt that I was strangling myself!

Okay, okay, let me cut to the chase, this is how my dream started.

I was in my own world of darkness. Everything was black, and there was not a single light in sight. It was like the time when I dreamt about the symbols of Athena. Yes, I dreamt about the goddess of wisdom. After all, she's my mother.

I kept trudging around the vicinity, but it seems that simply walking did not get me anywhere. Just when I was starting to get exasperated, I heard a laugh; an _evil _one. The voice sounded playful, and it was most definitely female.

I kept turning my head around, but I still could not see anything. The cackle kept echoing everywhere, and it was starting to irritate me. "SHOW YOURSELF!" I hollered. The laugh still boomed everywhere.

I was calling out to the unknown voice, until I heard something passed by me from behind. However, the person's movements were as quick as a ninja. It was either I was reacting late, or this stranger was really, _really_ fast.

Suddenly, in a blink of an eye... she came.

I could not see her face, but I knew that behind that behind that dog mask (Yes, I am not kidding) was a malevolent grin. The girl started to giggle again, but this time she tried to choke me with one firm grip on the neck.

As she tried to strangle me, I obviously started struggling. My eyes were starting to bulge out of my face and I could feel the blood flow stop in my veins. I placed my trembling hands on her stiff hand, trying everything I could to release my neck. The girl giggled again, and she used her other hand to remove her mask.

Once she removed her mask, my suffocation grew much worse. The girl who was about to kill me... was me.

She had the same grey eyes, the long lashes that are like curtains over the eyes, and she was clearly Japanese. She had my full bangs and my small and narrow features. There was one slight difference, though; it was her hair. It was the darkest shade of brown, and the hairstyle was a little wavy. I had long super straight black hair; and my hair is really straight and black. Of course, seeing a nearly perfect copy of me was extremely freaky.

Soon, she started to open her mouth, but a laugh did not escape through it. This time, she spoke up and it was not what I expected for her to say. "H-help..." she murmured.

In a little while, she dropped her mask and punched me in the face.

(O u O)

My eyes widened and I felt cold beads of sweat trickling down my neck. First, I was so glad that it was all just a freaky nightmare. But I abruptly remembered that my real nightmare wasn't actually over. I am a demigod, and there are probably thousands of monsters who would want me dead by now. Not only that, I was in jail. Yeah, you heard me; I was lying in a prison cell. Why? Well to be honest, I don't know.

The cell I was in was dull and bare. It only contained a hard bed, and an uncomfortable pillow. There were a bunch of vandalisms done to the walls. One of them was a long tally of how many days the previous prisoner stayed. Whoever this person was, he or she committed a rather serious crime.

I sat up from the bed, and I tried to recall what happened to me recently. Oh right, I was on a quest but I had to go through this rough predicament. Yeah, being a child of a god makes me go on dangerous excursions like this. Am I having fun? Oh, I am having the time of my life! (You do realize that I am being sarcastic, right?).

The question was, how do I get out of here? Before I could even come up with a plan, a police came and started unlocking the door. "Well, today is your lucky day." he said, grimacing at me. "You can get outta here... only if you manage to answer a few questions, though." When he finally opened the door, I immediately jabbed the police. I thought this move would knock him out and help me escape. Sadly, it didn't; instead, he grabbed my fist and began cracking my knuckle bones. As a reaction, I kicked his guts with my right knee. He slowly knelt down and winced in pain. With that, I took off. I wanted to use my USB rod, which is now my current weapon (I'll explain later), but it was such a pity that celestial bronze did not work on regular mortals.

The alarm soon echoed throughout the entire jailhouse and the prisoners were going crazy like wild animals. Either way, I kept running and I thought that I managed to get away from the cop. I felt bad for assaulting them like that, but I did not have much time. Then I thought of my irritating companions. They were out there, probably pissed off because I got mixed into this mess. When I was a couple of inches closer to freedom, a flock of guards suddenly blocked it. I stopped to my tracks and I rapidly thought of another way to escape.

Before an idea could even come to mind, I got hit by a club.

Finally, a blinding light woke me up. It was clear that I was under interrogation. I suddenly understood how Eris felt when she was being forced to answer the gods' questions. Don't worry, I am not crazy.

I shut my eyes tight, refusing to even face the austere old man who was in front of me. "You will talk. If not, you will not get out of here." he said, sternly. I rolled my eyes as he kept rambling off the criminal record that he had in his hand. In my defense, that criminal record was _not _mine.

I am sure most of you are flustered with what's happening. Okay, let me clear it out for you; First of all, I am Eve Masahiro the demigod. My mom is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and strategy. It's the truth, so get over it (I know, you get it already. I am just re-establishing the facts. Now shut up and read on. Yeah I am going to be the storyteller for the rest of this arc. _Deal with it_). Also, I am currently under an important quest. What's weird, I still have no idea on what is exactly going on. All I know is that if I fail, then it's either I lose my sanity or the world crumbles to pieces; so I cannot afford to mess this up. However, as much as this mission is extremely important, I have my own purposes in taking this quest. After all, I am not the type who usually joins in Olympian business.

Now...how did I wind up here? Well, since I'm in no mood in narrating what the douchebag was trying to tell me, I might as well explain how this all began.


	2. Chapter 1: Time Out

CHAPTER ONE: TIME OUT

"Valdez, what in the world... _is this?"_ I yelled, gripping the son of Hephaestus by the collar.

It was a sunny day in Camp Half-blood, the place for trouble-making demigods. I just got back from a stressful quest and my antique pair of _sai's_ got shattered after countless battles with Theumessian Fox and a couple of other Greek monsters. Leo Valdez, the guy I was about to kill, offered in fixing it and replacing the rusty old metal to celestial bronze. However he tweaked it a bit and turned it to some USB device.

"Had I made it clear to you to just simply fix my _sai's_? Not treat it like some mechanical experiment?" I scolded.

Leo waved his arms around and started squirming. "Whoa! Whoa! Calm down! I'm getting to that!" he protested.

"What are you talking about? You turned my dad's antique item into a USB drive!" another reason for me to be enraged; it was one of my deceased father's prized possessions. No one has ever touched the _sai's_ until I used them to stop a Minotaur named Carl.

"Just let me explain! Please!" he begged. "There are so many things that I wanna do! Create some awesome invention! Rebuild the Argo! Fix Festus! Get a girlfriend! Please! I can't die!" I groaned and released my grip from his collar. He let out a huge exhale of relief and fixed his shirt.

"Now, what you're seeing now is a _disguised form_ of your weapon." he explained. "So I now want you to wave it like a wand."

"What?"

"Just do it." he grinned.

I felt skeptical at first, but when I followed his instructions, the USB elongated into a _rod_. My eyes widened in disbelief, I've never seen anything like it! The rod had an intricate design and was at least thirty inches long. I tried waving it around, and it accidentally smashed a rock. That's right; it smashed a rock... into pieces. My jaws dropped as I started at the sturdy weapon.

"Isn't it genuine?" he said, speaking like a persuading businessman. "The material is so invincible that you can hit a monster's head off!" _Seriously?_ "But wait, _there's more_!" he added.

"Ah gee, what else can this do? Glow in the dark?" I smirked.

"Don't question my abilities! _Now break it in half_!"

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Just do it!"

I rolled my eyes, and followed what he said. Breaking the rod in half was harder than I thought. When I finally broke in half, another strange thing happened. Instead of being broken, it mechanically changed form. From a rod, it turned into my pair of _sai's_. However the design of my _sai's_ is much more different. Before, it was rather simple, there wasn't that much effort put into decorating. Now, it looks more sleek, sophisticated, and... new.

One essential thing was missing though; the blades. When I was starting to wonder where they were, celestial bronze blades that were ten inches long, sprung out. I was startled at its sudden appearance.

The son of Hephaestus grinned, amused at my shocked expression."Well, the breaking it in half part may be difficult, at first." Leo admitted. "I hope you're satisfied with its brand new upgrade."

"Uhh...yeah..." i said, staring at my new dual weapon. "Thanks, Leo-san." He smiled.

I ignored his dopey grin and stared dully at my new weapon. "Uhmm, how does this go back into a USB?"

"Oh right! Uhm, just put it back into a rod, and wave it again. It'll be back in its disguised form in no time."

I did as I was told, and it turned back into a USB device again. "Thank you again, Valdez." I said, giving him a quick bow of the head.

"Uhmm... no problem." he said, sounding like he expected something else other than a thank you.

"I guess I'll be off then."

"Uh, yeah. Right! Nice doing business with ya!"

I waved goodbye and left the Hephaestus Cabin.

I decided to take stroll around the Camp. After two consecutive quests, I really needed a break. However, it was not a good time to relax; the entire camp was under distress. Gaia has gone mad, minor gods have been rebelling, and now there are threats of the titans being revived again. All these troublesome issues were starting to get the best of me; and I did not like it. I mean this year has been rather hectic for me.

I found a log, and laid there like a couch potato. I stared at the light blue sky and reminisced of the previous events of my life. Neither any of them were heartwarming nor were they pleasant. Sure, I've stopped the goddess Eris from tempting the Olympian gods, again. And sure, I maimed the Theumessian Fox. But my father's gone, and I have an archenemy named Rip.

My heart started to wrench, and my fists began to clench the moment I remembered him. I guess it became an automatic response for my body. I just could not stand douchebags like him.

He was the son of Peitho, the goddess of persuasion. Because of that, I fell for all of his stupid persuasions of him being "interested" in me, and I got betrayed by him in the process. I nearly failed my first quest, because of him. I also made him vow to never betray me. If he did, then I would kill him. So now, one of my main goals in life is to hunt him down and kill him with my own two hands. _If only he swore in the name of the River Styx, it could've been way better._ I thought.

"Look who's back... the hotheaded daughter of Athena." a voice said. My eyes slowly turned towards a boy named Vince Simmons. He is a son of Apollo, and we pretty much have a short history.

It all started when I got back from my first quest. I was sleeping soundly in the Athena Cabin, until I woke up from a vexing noise from outside. I stormed outside to see this psychopath singing about lovesick nonsense. According to other campers, he's been trying to write a great song. So far, he's been singing about girlfriends, partying, and guys having fun. I felt so exasperated that I went back into my cabin, grabbed one of my _sai's_, and aimed it at his acoustic guitar.

Thanks to ADHD, he noticed the incoming _sai_ and dodged it. He got pissed and asked who interrupted his "masterpiece". When I admitted that it was me, we started arguing. I told him the cold truth that his music was interrupting a lot of campers, but he went all defensive. Soon enough, all the yelling turned into real combat. Before we could create further ruckus and damage Chiron, the camp director, stopped the fight and gave us cleaning duty at the Big House. We were never good terms, since then.

Here he was, standing in front of me. His hands were crossed, and he carried his guitar on his back. His somber emerald eyes were fixated upon my intense grey eyes, and a smirk formed in his lips. He stood there, expecting me to say something. I sighed. "What do you want, Simmons?" I asked, sheepishly.

"Ohh, I'm wondering how your quest went." he asked, casually. I rolled my eyes. I already knew he was finding a way to get back at me.

"Ask winter. He'll spill." I turned my back towards him, trying to make myself sleep.

Even with my back turned, I knew right away that an expression of mockery splashed across his idiotic face. "Exactly. He won't say anything! You know what that means?"

I sighed. "Oh boy, what?"

_"You failed!"_

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, where's Sophie?" My eyes then tightened more. Sophie, who was the daughter of Demeter, was one of my companions on the second quest I took. Where was she? I have no idea.

Nobody knows. As far as I knew, she got raped by Nessus the centaur, who was another traitor (This incident gives me another good reason to not like horses or centaurs). But because of carelessness, Sophie is nowhere to be found.

I turned away from Vince and said, "I asked you a question."

"Well I answered you with a question!" he defended.

"Is that even possible?"

"Arrrgh! The point is that you failed the quest! Because of that, one of your comrades is missing!"

He was now getting on my nerves. "_How is that my fault?"_

"You're the only half-blood who doesn't even put minimum effort to work!" _For your information, I was the one who comes up with the battle plans and trapped the fox, lame brain! _I thought while scrunching up my nose, obviously irritated with his bratty behaviour. I hate it when people do not see the efforts I try to bring in something.

I stood from the log and marched towards him. "What's your problem, anyway? Why are you even here?"

"Don't play dumb with me, hello kitty! We know who's at fault." _Was he trying to blame Sophie's disappearance on me?_

I finally gave up. "You're still on to that music issue?"

"What do you think? You've got a lot nerve to be such a rude mouth!"

"I was only telling the truth! _You're only singing nonsense_!"

"_My music is not nonsense!"_

"_Tell that to Beethoven!"_

"_Just apologize!_"

"_Then why didn't you start with that in the first place, you idiot?"_

Then he was lost for words. He started stammering then he grumbled in frustration. "You're the idiot! You should mind your own business and be considerate of others!"

I could feel my face burn with anger. I jabbed my pointer finger at him. "You're one to talk! You should be more considerate when people are sleeping!"

The argument went on and on and on. This guy just won't accept criticism like a mature musician would, and he had to mention the quest I was in to make me feel bad! He was just so irritating! I wanted to punch him, kill him, bury him, bring him back to life, then drown him, and feed him to some Nemean Lion! He went on and on about how incredible his music is, and he always disregards my simple favours and criticism! I can't believe I was actually putting up with this jerk!

Eventually, he said the most hurtful words in ancient history. "Gods,woman! You are the most ignorant _useless_ half-blood I have ever met!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "I guess we all now know _why RIP BETRAYED US ALL!" _ That statement felt like a punch in the gut.

I looked down and tried my very best not to cry. I fell silent for a while, as those painful words sunk into my heart. I was beginning to think whether I should kill him with my new weapon or not.

"Oh, now you won't say anything? Good! Then that means-"

"WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?" Lucius Winter yelled. Even though I was staring at the ground, I was able to recognize his _pissed-as-hell_ footsteps when he entered the scene.

"All of your pointless shouting interrupted not only me and the Hypnos Cabin, _but the entire camp_! _GODS WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU, PEOPLE?_ Can't you see what everyone is going through? Can't you see the situation at hand? This is no time to act immaturely! Especially you, Vince! You should know that by now! And Eve, _QUIT BEING SO FREAKING DIFFICULT!_! I know you're going through a rough time, but that doesn't give you an excuse to act like a child! Eve, are you even listening?"

Simmon's words were slowly sinking into me, that I looked like some little child being scolded by an adult. As much as I wanted to defend myself, I somehow couldn't. Those words really hurt me.

"Eve? Did you understand what I just said?" Lucius called out, again.

I gave emo kid a cold gaze. "Yeah." I said, turning to Vince. "I understood _perfectly_. My apologies." after that, I ran off.


	3. Chapter 2: Reconciliation

CHAPTER TWO: RECONCILIATION

I was at the lake's shore, sitting on a huge rock. I still felt upset with the remark Vince just gave me.

I am a difficult person, I know! It is just that I have a hard time in trusting other people. I hate betrayal and I don't want it to happen again. I hugged my knees close to me and I rested my huge forehead on them. I wanted to forget about Rip and cry. When tears were starting to form in my eyes, I sensed Vince approaching.

The son of Apollo stood before me, and scratched his messy dark brown hair. His infant guilty look made it evident that he was going to apologize; and it looked like he was very unwilling to do so.

I turned my back towards him, and wiped the insignificant tears off my eyes. "What now?" I asked, hoarsely.

"Well, see what i mean?" he hesitated. "The truth can hurt sometimes!"

I sighed. He is so childish. "In case you have no idea, I come up with all the strategies in a quest." I explained. "I don't trust people easily, but Rip still kept bugging me with his persuasions. So don't tell me that I'm useless and that was the reason why he became a traitor. Besides, you don't even know what really happened. Even if I try to explain it to you, you're just going to find a way to make me feel bad."

He became quiet for a while, feeling slightly remorseful. He then fixed his eyes towards mine and said, "Well, if you haven't insulted my music then none of this would've happened."

I said nothing.

"Come on," he pleaded. "Just like you, I got really hurt. I want to be the best musician there ever was. You had to crush me with the cold truth. Sure it's ok to tell the truth, but the way you conveyed it was mean."

"Well, you do realize you're going to have to deal harsh critiques if you want to be a great musician." I pointed out.

He gasped, and returned to his infant guilty face. He knew that I was right, and didn't know what else to say to me. Finally, he looked at me again with a much more sincere expression and said the words that sort of helped me feel better. "Well, I am sorry for going overboard." he apologized. "But you do have to do a little attitude adjustment."

I looked at the lake and a small smile emerged from my mouth. "Hnn. I guess you're right." I muttered. "Sorry, too. But I'm not kidding about the criticism. At least try to accept it."

He slowly nodded. Just when everything started to become weird and awkward, the signal for lunch came. We exchanged looks, but I immediately turned away and headed for the picnic area.


	4. Chapter 3: Accused for Nothing

CHAPTER THREE: ACCUSED FOR NOTHING

After that little dramatic scene, I rode a bus to East 81st, heading to Goode High School. There, I had to meet up with Rook, the only closest friend I had in Camp. Don't worry, I asked permission from Chiron the centaur, our camp activities director. Yeah, Chiron is a centaur. I know, for a girl who's scared of horses, I'm shocked too. Well, the weirdness is just beginning; Rook is half-man and half-GOAT. That's right, he's a satyr; a _rapping_ satyr, I might add.

Satyrs like him had one mission: protect demigods. I guess that is why they were also known as the "protectors". Rook has been in Goode High School to keep an eye for fresh demigods. Once that happens, he has to find a way to bring that unfortunate person to camp. Rook was also the one who found me in Japan. But we didn't meet in a school; I was forced to go to camp. I'd rather not elaborate on the details.

I arrived a few blocks away from the school and decided to walk the rest of the way. Usually, when a half-blood goes out like this, being an instant target to monsters was the price to pay. I just hoped that the monsters took a vacation somewhere, and gave operation _gobble-up-demigods_ a rest. However, it weren't the monsters that bothered me this time.

While I was walking, I noticed a police car slowly following me. I stopped to look at the car, and two policemen immediately came out. They approached me slowly, with friendly looks on their faces. However, I could already smell trouble from them.

The first officer gave me a less friendly smile. "Good morning, ma'am." he greeted. "I'm Officer Morrison. This here is Officer Gopher." _Gopher?_

I gulped. "Is there any problem, officer?" I asked, politely as possible. But I could not control the shaking in my knees.

"Well, you need to come with us to the police station right away." Officer gopher replied.

I took a small step backwards. _Police station?_ "Why is that?" I looked at them, raising a brow at them.

"We need to ask you a few questions, ma'am. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll only be for a short while." Officer Morrison reassured. But I could tell that he was lying.

"Why not ask me those questions here, then?" I asked, hoping their answer would confirm my suspicion.

The officers just laughed at me, like I did something stupid. "That simply isn't done," Officer Morrison said, sternly. "You _must _come with us."

I was starting to sweat like a pig. "Uhh, I can't. I have some other business to attend to." I said, trying to leave. "Perhaps another time."

"I don't think that's a wise decision, ma'am." Officer Morrison said, revealing handcuffs. "After all, we've been after you for years." Both of them soon walked closer to me. I gulped and walked backwards, expecting them to turn into some random Greek monster. But nothing happened. They were still average cops. "What are you?" I asked, realizing that was not the right question to ask.

Officer Gopher scoffed. "You're just like what the criminal records described_: crazy-looking._ " he said, trying to grab me.

I dodged his approach and immediately ran. They aimed their guns at me and shot. I managed to dodge the gunshots, and ran a little faster. I turned into a different street and I soon heard their car engine roaring. The only thing I could do was outsmart them.

Thanks to my ADHD, I ran as fast as a cheetah. I turned to another street and I slipped into an alley. I hid behind a huge black dumpster, and I stayed there until the police car finally passed by. I sighed in relief, but my mind went racing. What was going on? They were certainly _not_ Greek creatures. They were actually mortal officers telling me that I did something wrong. _But what did I do?_

After fifteen minutes, I left the dark alley and headed for Goode High School.

When I got there, the students were already out. Unlike Japan, American schools were much more chaotic. There was PDA (if you do not know what this means, then I suggest you must not know), loud chattering, and jocks and other chumps were bullying defenseless kids everywhere. I even saw a group of men throwing a nerd into a dumpster. That scene made me grit my teeth. As a nerd myself, I hate seeing cowardly jerks persecuting our potential. Before long, I finally saw Rook.

He was wearing his usual green jersey and the mist-the one that distorts reality- concealing his furry legs and hooves with a pair of loose camouflage pants and oversized rubber shoes. The satyr also looked impatiently at me. I sighed and walked towards him.

"What took ya, man?" he asked, exasperated.

"Sorry, I got a little... side tracked." I said.

He let out a heavy sighed and decided to give me a huge grin. "Nah, forget it. It's good see ya, man!" he said, giving me a bear hug.

I smiled, and returned the embrace. "Yeah, it sure is." I had to admit, I haven't seen Rook for almost two months, and camp has been rather lonely without him around.

"Shall we get going then? I wanna do some shopping for Criss' birthday present! Remember him?"

I tried to make myself look excited."Yeah, how could I forget?" _Yeah, how could I forget his insane driving?_

"Sweet! Let's go!" He was about to run, but I grabbed his shoulder with my tensed hands.

"Hang on! There's something I need to tell you." I said, feeling a lump forming in my throat.

"What's that, yo?"

"I think... I'm in trouble."

(O u O)

"_The police did what?"_ he nearly shrieked, causing an echo throughout the shop we were in. He immediately covered his mouth in shame and bent his head down searching for a perfect gift for his friend.

"Are you sure they're not wild Greek monsters?" he asked, whispering.

"Uhh yeah, I'm certain. They didn't change form like they usually do, they tried to grab and handcuff me, and they tried to shoot me." I said.

"Man, this is bogus, yo!" he said. "Are you sure you didn't do anything?"

"This is practically like the first time I got out of camp for leisure! How could I be in the wanted list?"

He paused for a moment. "You sure you didn't do anything during your previous quest with Lucius?" he asked, giving me a conspicuous look.

_"Rook!" _

"Alright, alright! I believe you." he said, waving his hands in surrender. "Do you intend to tell Chiron about this?"

"No... at least, not yet. We've got a lot more to deal with at camp."

"Figures." he said, checking out an orange jersey. "Do ya think this would suit him?"

I grimaced. "Rook, you guys wear jerseys like..._all the time_." I pointed out.

"Heh, I guess you're right." he agreed, returning the jersey back in the rack. "Man, a lil' help here?" he begged. I sighed and handed him a something random from one of the shelves. It was a chain vintage necklace with a huge golden dollar sign dangling. "How about this... what did the Americans call it? _Bling_?" I asked. He looked an inch closer to the necklace, and began studying it. A grin came across his face.

"Dude! This is perfect!" he exclaimed. "Thanks man! You're like my savior! You're beautiful, man!" he then skipped to the counter and paid for the chain necklace. I groaned and went to the satyr's side. "Rook! This is serious! What if I do get locked up?" I asked, with a worried look.

"_Chillax_... people like you deal with this all the time." he said, getting the shopping bag from the clerk. "You just have to stay at camp for the time being and the police will give up in looking for you."

"But they said they've been after 'me' for years! They think I'm a wanted criminal!"

"Yo, you're exaggerating."

I sighed. "I hope you're right. It's bad enough I've got a couple of rebellious minor gods to deal with." My eyes widened with what I just said, for a moment. _Was I actually taking this whole Olympian business, seriously?_ I then whimpered, inside. I am really becoming one of them. By them, I mean the demigods, the Olympians, the whole Greek enchilada.

"Yeah, sure... "He said, patting my back. "Now come, looks like we're gonna have to go back to the demigod crib."

"Huh?" I blinked, remembering that I was in shop with a satyr.

"Back to camp, yo!"


	5. Chapter 4: Conference

CHAPTER FOUR: CONFERENCE

For once in a lifetime, breakfast was pretty quiet.

Everyone was pretty bummed about the disappearance of Sophie and some demigod whose-name-skips-me. They were even shocked about the betrayal of Rip. According to some other people, it was like Luke Castellan, all over again. A majority of his fan girls were pretty upset about it. Some were bawling or did not even touch their food.

At the Athena table, my half-siblings also looked pretty troubled-especially Annabeth. She could not believe that Rip was at the side of the minor gods, but that was not the only matter she was sulking about. In fact, she was not at camp. She was out somewhere in Detroit or Ohio searching for a demigod whose-name-skips-me.

Chiron also looked pretty upset. Not only because of the "stranded" demigods, but he was also worried for the campers. Not even a game of capture-the-flag wouldn't lift up their spirits (yes, they were _that_ upset). As for me, well... I am too upset to even gobble up my food. Wait, I'm anorexic. I am always never hungry.

The silence was broken when the red-headed girl beside Chiron started to turn green. Who was she? She was none other than Rachel Dare, the bearer of the spirit of Delphi. Who was Delphi? Well, she's the oracle who gives out prophecies. In other words, she was giving out a brand new prophecy. Everyone directed their focus towards her, and Rachel said this:

_"The Goddess of Magic emerges,_

_And a servant in the dark arises._

_With streets and corners that are now crooked,_

_An enemy of the past has been recruited._

Once the prophecy was delivered, chattering began and noise returned to the Pavilion. Most of the tables were engaged into serious conversations regarding the prophecy shown. I started to wonder, as well. The goddess of Magic was Hecate. She joined forces with the other rebellious gods. According to Winter, she was there when he encountered Momus. The question was, which city was she in? And who is this servant in the dark? Also, this enemy of the past could be anyone!

Chiron stood and called for everybody's attention. "Silence, please!" he called out. "Clearly, Hecate is now making her move."

I took a small glimpse from the table, which contained Hecate's children. This camp recently just accepted children of minor gods. But with Hecate taking the side of rebellion and all, everyone suddenly treated her children differently. After listening to the prophecy, every child of Hecate had their heads bowed, feeling shame. I felt bad for them; I knew what it was like when the world gave you a cold shoulder.

A Blonde guy named Jason stood from the Zeus' table. "I'll take the quest!" he volunteered.

The centaur shook his head. "No, you're here for a much more different reason, Jason." Chiron said. He was right, though. This guy was carrying a much heavier burden; I could sense it.

While Chiron kept babbling, the other cabins were already competing who would take this quest. Clearly, this quest was going to be exciting but dangerous. The city-whichever it was- would most be probably be shrouded with thick mist. It may be so thick that perceiving reality would almost be impossible. Not only that, a servant was mentioned. Whoever it was, this servant must be very strong.

Soon, another guy from the Zeus' table stood. It was Rain Weathers. "I'll take it." he said.

Chiron arched an eyebrow. He seemed pretty unsure of sending out Weathers, again. After all, he had other problems to deal with. "Are you sure, Rain?" Chiron asked, with a worried look.

"Oh yeah," Rain said, feeling confident. "As long as I get to beat up Hecate." Everyone giggled at his words. I just rolled my eyes; I wasn't that eager for quests. I sipped my cup of water, deciding to sit out of this meeting.

"Very well." sighed Chiron. "I have a feeling this quest would be dangerous."

"Every quest _is_ dangerous." Leo interrupted. One of the Hephaestus kids hit him in the head. Chiron sighed. "As I was saying... Rain, according to the prophecy, streets and corners are crooked." he explained. "I'm sure Hecate manipulated the mist. This quest requires strict vigilance. Now, who will your companions be?"

"That's easy, I pick Lucius." Rain replied, pointing to emo kid. Lucius slowly looked up from his plate and stared intently at Rain. He looked rather surprised, and didn't even respond back like he used to. Rain just gave him a smile. "I know you want to." he said, being mischievous.

The son of hades then stood up. "Count me in." he said. Some people cheered, while other people were mumbling curses. Apparently, they wanted this quest, so badly.

"Who will be your third companion?" asked Chiron. Man, sometimes this centaur sounds like some galactic federation leader. (Hey, I am a nerd. I know what I'm talking about.)

"Eve." Lucius immediately answered. The moment I heard my name escape through Winter's lips, I spat out the water I just sipped. _I'm going out on a quest... again?_ I thought. "W-what?" I spluttered. Winter gave me a look; yup, he was dead serious. He had a pretty good excuse, though. He recently learned a new skill, and he chose me to be his "cage". In case he goes out of control, I have to step in and stop him. If I don't, then...let's just say that bad things would happen.

Did I know what he meant by cage? Heh.

I groaned. "Fine, fine. I'll do it." I sighed. The Athena cabin started congratulated me, and they didn't seem to notice my sulking face.

"Alright, you three know what to do." Chiron said. "Look for Hecate, and stop her. If possible, squeeze out any valuable information."

"I think that won't be a problem." smirked, Rain, who was very eager to torture another god.

"When do you intend to leave?" Chiron asked.

"Tonight."


	6. Chapter 5: A Twitter

CHAPTER FIVE: A TWITTER

I was back in my cabin, packing up a few things. For a camper, I pack quite light. I was brought to camp by force. Because of that, I was not able to even bring a suitcase of clothes with me. The only thing I had on were my pair of skinny jeans (the same jeans I wore since my first day in camp) and the orange Camp Half-Blood shirt.

I frowned, still uncomfortable with the thought of adjusting into the demigod lifestyle. I removed my shirt and wore my usual white, long-sleeved, polo shirt and grey sweater. I sighed in relief. _Much better, _I thought.

Like I said, I packed quite light. I brought Nectar and ambrosia for replenishment, golden drachma for contacting anyone, the stilettos, and the camera that my mother gave me.

I suddenly remembered our last meeting. Unfortunately, it did not turn out so well. I was incredibly bitter towards her. She endangered my father's life and she had to join that ridiculous golden apple argument. Despite my anger, she still gave me this camera. On the word of my mother, this contraption would help me in making out the truth or history of the image captured. It was the perfect item for a confusing quest like this.

Then someone entered the cabin. It was Rook, and he had a worried look on his face. I already knew what he wanted to say. "I have no choice, Rook." I said, putting everything in my bag. "I've got to help Winter, whether I like it or not."

"But what about the cops, yo?" he asked.

"I'll just have to avoid them." I said, reluctantly.

The satyr pursed his lips. "Well if you're going out there, then you're gonna have to tell your peeps the truth, yo."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, _tell 'em you're wanted_!"

"I'm not even sure if I am! Probably the police mistook me for some other criminal."

"Fine, whatever. Just be careful."

I smirked. "no promises."

"Hmmph. You just never change, do ya?"

"Deal with it, Rook." I gave him a goodbye hug.

As soon as I was done packing, I grabbed the white jacket Annabeth gave me. I felt my face soften. I wondered what had happened to her and where was she at that time. But I knew I shouldn't worry. A lot of people say that Annabeth is a formidable half-blood. She could take care of herself, and I believed so. I wore the jacket over my smart casual attire and headed out.

Right outside my cabin were Weathers and Winter, whose arms were crossed. They were actually waiting for me to come out, and they eventually grew impatient.

"What?" I smirked, looking at the night sky like nothing happened.

"You took _forever_. You were supposed to be at the entrance exactly fifteen minutes ago." scolded Lucius. Rain just stood there, feeling amused at our fight scene.

"Sorry, the clock in our cabin was twenty minutes late." I defended.

He groaned in defeat. "Forget it, let's go."

After leaving the camp's borders, Lucius began to whistle. I raised my brow at his peculiar gesture. Then I could feel the ground slightly shaking. The shake became stronger and louder and a horse skeleton approached us. I gulped. As much as I hate horses, _dead_ ones were much worse.

Rain whistled, he was not as stunned as I was. He probably had seen Winter's pet before. "I haven't seen Bricks in a long time." said the son of Zeus. _So that its name_. I thought, rolling my eyes. I did not like this.

Lucius hopped on the skeletal horse first, followed by Rain. I just stood in front of the creature with a disgusted look imprinted on my face. Emo kid gave me a hard look, making it clear that he was in no mood to bark orders at me and waste time. I was about to hop in, until a voice called out to me.

"Hey! Wait up!" It was Vince.

When he stopped in front of me, I immediately grew tense. "Relax, I've come in peace." he said, raising both of his hands up in surrender.

"Better make it quick. We're in a hurry." I snapped.

"Alright, alright. I just want you three to have this." He held out three golden whistles. I raised my eyebrow. He sighed and decided to explain. "In case you guys get separated, let out at least one long blow. Then you'll be able to find each other."

We took one whistle each, and I was still suspicious of his actions. "Since when do you give gifts to me? I mean, we hate each other." I pointed out. Sure, we may have cleared a few things out earlier, but that didn't mean I was willing to warm up to him.

He grinned at me, which surprised me. "And I want that all to end. Look, you were right a while ago." he said. "So, let's just be friends." I sighed. I have heard this line many times before. The same old phrase was beginning to become annoying and not convincing. "I'll think about it." I said, climbing on Bricks, immediately.

Vince nodded at me. "I understand."

"Oh there is one thing you should know." I said, feeling the tension on my shoulders, again.

This time, it was Vince who arched his eyebrow. Seeing him like that was funny. "And, what is that?" he asked, slowly.

"During those times when you pissed me off," I started, closing my eyes. "I was the one who sent that fake love note to Drew."

His eyes slowly widened, quickly understanding where I was going. "You mean it was _you _who gave her my composition about my ideal girl?"

Rain held in a snicker. He was one of the witnesses of this event. Lucius just sat there, slowly growing impatient. I knew we had to leave soon, so I gave Simmons a sincere look. "Hey, I'm sorry if that ruined your life. Besides, Drew was born to be a spinster, anyway. See ya around." In a hurry to leave, I kicked the horse's bony butt and it galloped away in an incredible speed. It startled me so much, I had to take a firm grip on Rain's shoulders.

Somewhere from faraway, I could still hear Vince shouting curses in the Greek language.

"Is that alright for you to do that?" Rain asked.

I just shrugged, and did not answer his question.

Miles later, Lucius looked straight ahead, being serious. Rain, on the other hand, looked around the cars that were passing by as Bricks continued to gallop, swiftly. No one was able to notice us at all. I guess the Mist surrounding the horse was as thick as Lucius Winter's mind. (Don't tell him I said that)

Then I speculated on which city was Hecate in. "Hey." I said.

Lucius nearly jumped from his seat. "Ugh, what?" he snapped.

"Geez sorry, I was just asking where were going."

"New York City." Rain immediately said.

"Are you sure that's the city the prophecy mentioned?" Lucius asked.

"Not really, but I guess we have to try."

As the two were discussing, I was beginning to wonder what was going to happen once we reach New York. The last time we were like this, Keres started to aim for us. Injuries and precious time was wasted because we were so distracted. I was planning to keep watch while my companions were chatting away. However, the wind somehow made my eyes heavy. Soon, I doze off.

(O u O)

I had a strange dream.

There was a long hall, and the walls were filled with mirrors. I gulped, feeling hesitant. Eventually, I took a few steps towards the hall of mirrors.

I walked very slowly, and I began to notice that the looking glasses were all in different shapes and sizes. For some reason, I could not look at any of them. I was frightened of what my reflection would look like. It was a crazy notion, I know.

When I reached the end of the hall, I saw a full-length mirror. There, I saw my full reflection. At first, seeing my reflection in the mirror was pretty normal. I did all sorts of diverse movements, but as I kept on moving about, my reflection stopped; it just stood there, staring at me intently. I stopped fidgeting and looked back at the mirror. I touched my face, but it still did not move a single muscle. I began looking at myself in the eye, and... it slowly grinned.

I was not grinning; I did quite the opposite. My eyes bulged in horror, and I grimaced.

Then my reflection did something even much freakier; it started giggling at me. I took a few steps back, and I ran away from my grotesque reflection.

While I was running along the long hall, something even more unusual occurred. Everytime I looked at the mirrors on the wall, I see my freaky-self running too. I tried to run faster, but it also did the very same thing. I shook my head and focused on the exit, which was straight ahead.

When I finally reached the end of the hall, I thought I was going to be safe. But in the blink of an eye, she was already right in front of me.

I don't know how she got out of the mirror, but there she was, standing before me with a bizarre grin on her face.

She giggled again, but said something rather odd. "_Help me, please_!" she snickered. Before I could even react, she brought out a dagger from behind her back, and stabbed me on the chest.

That was when Lucius woke me up.

"What's with you?" he asked. I stared at him, trying to study his expression. I wasn't sure if he was mad again or concerned.

"Sorry, I doze off." I yawned. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere in Broadway." Rain answered. I looked around to see the busy streets of Manhattan. However, there was something strange about the place. It was so quiet, and not to mention very foggy. We reached Times Square, and landed there. We all looked around, and there was not a single car or person in sight. My companions and I exchanged looks, and we both already knew that something was up.

"This must be one of the doings of Hecate." Rain assumed. "Looks like this is the city were looking for." _Isn't this a little too predictable?_ I asked myself, looking around.

"I'd never thought New York would be this deserted. Not even Times Square." remarked Lucius.

"Also, we're not alone." I said, turning to the direction where footsteps were coming from. The stomps were so loud that it echoed all throughout Times Square. Rain wielded Kairos, his rapier, while Lucius already had his Vasanistis, his stygian iron sword. I got my USB and waved it, and soon turned into my rod. Rain and Lucius were shocked with my new weapon. I gave them glum look. "What? Never seen a weapon before?" They shrugged at me, and returned to their fighting positions.

In a matter of minutes, our guest finally came out. It was the criminal on the top of the most wanted list: Hecate. I know, what you're thinking. Since we found her, this whole quest was only just a piece of cake? Fat chance.

The goddess immediately recognized Lucius. "My, if it isn't the son of Hades. Oh, you even brought friends." she said, grimly.

"What are you up to, Hecate?" Lucius growled. The goddess chuckled.

"Please, you do realize that getting through me is going to take more than that."

After that phrase, we heard howling from behind. I looked to see a huge pack of black dogs, drooling and growling at us. Before one of them could even get to us, Bricks got in the way, and attacked them. However, one of the dogs climbed on the back of the horse and bit the back of its neck. Bricks yelped and shook the dog off its back. I shuddered. Hungry dogs? A Horse made out of bones? Made sense.

Lucius called out his pet's name, running towards him and started attacking the black dogs. Rain ran after him, while I looked at Hecate. A dog lunged towards me, but i smashed it away before it could even get near me. The mutt retreated, yelping in pain. I then returned my attention towards the despicable goddess.

"Oh my, an offspring of Athena." she said, amused.

"Looks like your howling dogs are for real after all." I said.

"Did you honestly think they were only mere myths?"

I said nothing. She soon walked towards me, as if she was trying to study me. "You seem new, I haven't seen the likes of you before." she said, slowly going around me.

"Let's just say I was well hidden." What? It's true.

"I see...well, it's a good thing you didn't join the dog fight." I gasped and turned to find Lucius and Rain. They were gone, also Bricks.

"Winter? Weathers?" I called out. No response.

Hecate chuckled again. "I wouldn't be worrying about them, if I were you." I turned around again, and noticed that she was no longer there. I was alone in Times Square; well, almost. I heard someone giggle.

I switched to my _sai's _and kept looking around, for I did not know where the cackle was coming from. The voice kept giggling and giggling, and I was beginning to get dizzy. When I was about to collapse, I heard a movement from behind. I immediately turned around, but all I saw was a flying newspaper. The next thing I knew, something—no, _someone_, was flying from behind. I turned to see a girl, about to hit me with a... meteor hammer. I dodged the attack, and studied my unknown opponent.

She wore a tattered grey poncho jacket, and frayed black skinny jeans. She had dirty chewed-up pink converse shoes, and fingerless black gloves. I was not able to study her face because it was covered with a... dog mask. Not only that, she had full bangs, like mine.

She charged again, and I did a backflip to dodge her dangerous meteor hammer. Her weapon got stuck to the ground, and boy did it create such damage! The girl kept hitting me with her meteor hammer, and I wasn't able to land a single blow on her! I've been avoiding her attacks for the past eight minutes, and I was getting tired. I suddenly remembered the prophecy. _Servant in the dark..._

"You... you must be... the servant." I panted. She just giggled.

"Gosh, is there anything else you can do, other than just taunting me?" I charged towards her and I did a long jump. In mid-air, I did some acrobatic move, and tried slashing her with one of my _sai's_. However, I only managed to hit her left shoulder. Her hood also got removed, revealing her long, incredibly dark brown hair. Before I landed on the ground again, I unfortunately got hit in the stomach by her meteor hammer. I ended up flying at the other side of Times Square, hitting the glass of a nearby fast-food joint.

I winced in pain, and I slowly sat up. I could feel the scratches on my stomach, thanks to the spikes of her meteor hammer. It was clear to me that _sai's_ weren't going to help me beat this Joker. Soon enough, the servant was in mid-air raising her meteor hammer. I rolled away, and I changed my weapon back into a rod. I sprang up, and I hit the servant on the back. As a result, she fell, but she did a roundhouse move on me. Luckily, I dodged that and she immediately got back on her feet. Our fight continued to drag on for the next ten minutes and we went further inside the restaurant.

Soon, we were both exhausted and the fast-food joint was nearly demolished. I eventually recognized the restaurant. Thanks to the golden capital "M", I fathomed that we were battling in Mcdonalds all along. However, despite the enervation, my opponent still lunged for me. I jumped away, and she managed to break down a table. I landed at the counter, and I threw one of my stilettos at her. It pierced her right shoulder, and she yelled in pain. I jumped and lunged towards her. I raised my rod, preparing to hit her. When I thought I hit her skull... I actually hit another table... filled with people.

The family stared at me like I was some maniac. It was a good thing the mist managed to cover my rod, otherwise I would've been in more trouble for carrying a lethal weapon. "Hey! Are you crazy?" shouted an employee. Before I knew it, I was thrown out of Mcdonalds. Not only that, I saw Times Square is already filled with cars and people. _What the heck just happened?_ I thought. First, the entire area was a ghost town. Then it was suddenly filled with people. Could this be one of the works of Hecate? Then I noticed that the girl was gone. Did she escape? What a coward!

Then I had another problem. Rain and Lucius were really gone.


	7. Chapter 6: Prison Break

CHAPTER SIX: PRISON BREAK

I ran everywhere in Times Square., and not a single son of Hades or Zeus in sight. Was this what the prophecy was talking about? Crooked streets? Ugh, New York was even worse than a jungle!

I walked farther from Times Square, and I still haven't found my companions. Calling out their names would make me sound like a lunatic. So I kept walking around the streets of New York, like an aimless wanderer.

As I explored the city, my mind grew heavy with constant thinking. Mostly, they were about Hecate and her mysterious joker. When we got to New York, it was completely empty. But the moment I blinked my eye, people suddenly popped out everywhere. It was all so sudden. I wondered if Rain and Lucius noticed that, too.

The only thing I could come up with was that Hecate was behind all this mind-boggling crap. She was the goddess of magic, after all. I don't know how, but I was pretty sure that she either did some mystic illusion or manipulated the mist. It was possible that she even casted a spell on the entire city!

I reached for my back pocket and grabbed a small square of ambrosia. I took a bite and laid my hand on the injury the girl gave me, who was also another problem. She was certainly a tough nut to crack. The damage inflicted upon me hurt like hell. I had a feeling that we won't be able to stop Hecate, until we beat this joker of a servant. Despite her insanity, she was a formidable foe; and that really irritated me.

I was at East 42nd street, somewhere near Grand Central Station. When I sat by a bench to rest, a police car parked in front of me. The siren was left on, and the cops came out of the vehicle. They all pointed their guns at me. "Put your hands up!" one of them commanded. _Gods, the cops again? What in the world did I do?_ Instead of paying attention, I ran inside Grand Central.

I climbed down several stairs, pushed a lot of people out of the way, and tried to catch a train. Unfortunately, some poor hobo wanted to be a hero so badly that he caught up to me, and nailed me to the ground. "I've got her! I've got her!" he said, laughing hysterically. I hit him with my elbow, and he went out cold. But when I stood up, the police already surrounded me. "Freeze!" one of them commanded again. As much as I wanted to bolt away, I could not harm a mere mortal. I would just cause more trouble. I sighed, and raised both of my hands up in surrender. Another cop came closer and handcuffed me. I was lead to the police car, and brought to the police station.

When we got there, I was forced to sit down in front of another cop of a high rank. He leered at me and said, "We've been looking everywhere for ya." I just glared at him. His mischievous look was already aggravating.

He cleared his throat and continued. "Fujihara, you are hereby charged by the following treasons: jaywalking, vandalisms on restricted areas, and stealing boxes of Pocky in convenience stores." _Hang on! Pocky? Fujihara? They've got the wrong person!_

"Hold on! I did not do any of those mischiefs!" I protested.

"Oh so now you're talking. Well, witnesses' descriptions matched you PERFECTLY." he boomed. "Asian, Japanese. Grey eyes, full bangs, and long dark hair. You think you can _dye_ your hair so we won't recognize ya." _Dye my hair? Why in the world would I do that?_

"We'll think of what to do with ya later. Take her to the holding facility." he commanded.

The two policemen then dragged me firmly to a prison cell. I struggled but I got hit on the head in the process. I was knocked out.

(O u O)

So that is how I got in jail.

Unmistakably, I was being accused for something I didn't do. Right now, the old man in front of me suggested that I should be moved to some asylum in Massachusetts! Apparently, my protests made the people think that I was insane.

The guy kept blabbering on, but I was already thinking of how to escape. The only thing I needed was a diversion. _But how could I do that?_

When I inserted my hands into my pocket, a strategy finally came to mind. The whistle that Vince gave me was still in my pocket. Then I waited for the right moment.

Soon, the man was done talking and he looked at me, intently. "So you understand, Miss Fujihara?" he asked.

I nodded, avoiding his stare. He sighed, and organized the papers scattered all over the table. That's when I noticed a file, and a picture attachment. What intrigued me was the snapshot; it was a stolen shot of the girl I fought the other day.

I then looked at him, gripping on the whistle. The man noticed my sudden change in behaviour. "Is something wrong?" he asked, shakily.

I smiled, and slowly revealed to him the golden whistle. "Oh, no." I lied, and blew the whistle. The man got startled, and this gave me a chance to make a break for it. I snatched the files from his hands and I punched him in the nose. He went out cold, and I broke down the door. Before long, the red alarm has been initiated.

I ran as fast as a roadrunner, and I soon reached the exit. Sadly, a band of policemen were already there, waiting for me. I gritted my teeth, and the USB in my pocket was starting to get hefty. I was so tempted to whip some cop butt. However I knew perfectly well that I shouldn't be doing that. Celestial bronze doesn't even harm mortals, anyway.

While my mind was racing, the lights of the prison suddenly shut down. The police were panicking, while I started to get puzzled. Until out of the blue, a hand covered my mouth and someone pulled me up. I was at the second floor of the prison, and thanks to the red alert lights blinking, I recognized who came to the rescue. It was Lucius, who had a _pissed-as-hell_ look on his face. He put a finger between his lips, telling me to be quiet. I nodded and I set my sights on Rain, who was giving directions. I knew right away that he was the one responsible for the black out.

However, the same policemen once again blocked our way. _How did they manage to get all the way there?_ That was not the only thing I had noticed; the prisoners were no longer in their cells. And I was certain that I did not see them evacuate.

"Hehe, it's over half-bloods." one of them snickered.

I exchanged looks with my cohorts. Nippily, Rain summoned Kairos, and pierced one of the police officers. "They're not mortals!" warned he. Lucius and I were shocked, but we immediately wielded our weapons. In no time, the policemen changed into their true form. The whole quest was beginning to confuse me. First, I dealt with mortals, the next thing I knew, I had to deal with Greek Monster. Now, that is what I call the life of a demigod.

They were bigger, and much more muscular. They were also very gruesome. "Time to knock 'em dead!" they chirruped, while they smashed the floor with their bulky hands. We jumped away from them, and Lucius was able to recognize them. "You're the _Laistrygonians_! You used to serve for Kronos!" he scowled.

The Laistrygonians laughed hysterically at him. "Ha! That's right! Now we shall have you for lunch!"

"We better get bellow!" yelled rain. We swooped down to the first floor before the giants did. But when it was their turn to go down, they created a mini earthquake. We all faced them, but I spotted that they had bronze balls in their hands. _Where did that come from?_

Rain suddenly recognized it. "Oh gods! Guys, take cover!" When the first giant tossed his first ball, it started to look like a ball of fire. We all dodged it and a huge smoking crater was generated at the other side of the hall. My jaws were about to drop, but I urged myself to keep my head in the game. I mean, it's not the first time I've seen something this... bizarre.

"Feast your eyes on that, half-bloods!" one of them chuckled, mockingly.

"Yay! I like 'em fried!" another said, eagerly. _Fried?_ I thought, with a grimaced look.

"Rain! We need to get near them! It's the only way to defeat these goons!" Lucius called out, dodging the fireballs.

"I know that!" Rain shouted back. "But at this rate, we won't be able to get near them! We need to find a way to make them stop throwing these cannon balls!"

"But how? We're being treated like pins in a bowling alley!" Emo kid complained, showing off his smoking jacket. "and also... we're being fried to death!"

"Gods! Now I know how Percy felt when he had to face them!" son of Zeus grumbled. He then turned to me. "Eve! Got any ideas?"

I then turned my direction to the Laistrygonians. They were only standing there, throwing balls at us. This was more like a game of _Dodgeball-to-death_ to me, than a bowling match. Furthermore, the balls are on fire. Rain was right, if we try going near them, we might get ourselves fried. There was only one thing to do.

"Winter! Do your... _shadowbinding thingy_!" I called out.

The son of hades ducked to avoid the comet ball. He looked at me as if I was crazy. "What?" he asked.

"Just scare them to death!" I yelled. Lucius groaned, and his aura suddenly changed. The usual dark shadows came out of nowhere, and went to the giants. One of them tried hitting it with a fire ball, but that didn't work. Soon, the shadows engulfed all of them and they were already screaming their heads off. "That's right... _EMBRACE YOUR FEAR_!" Lucius said, hoarsely. Actually, he sounded very different... I barely recognized him. I was supposed to get use to his anger issues, but he just never fails to bring chills down to my spine…..in a bad way.

I was so distracted watching Lucius that I did not notice what was happening and what Rain was doing. It was pouring hard outside and Rain raised his knife called Atropes in the air. I don't know how, but... lightning somehow struck him, even if we were indoors. The electric rushing within rain was so blinding that I wasn't able to see well. The only thing I saw was the thing on his hand. Kairos turned into a... mini lightning bolt.

Rain raised it towards the insane giants, and blasted lightning at them. The giants then burst into flames. I ran to the nearest fire alarm and the water sprinklers managed to disperse the remaining flames. Then I stared at Rain and Lucius, with my jaws finally dropped. I can't believe I am saying this but, they were amazing.

The two boys panted, and grinned at each other. They gave themselves "manly" handshakes, telling each other what an awesome job they did. I suddenly felt like a third wheel.

Rain turned his head to me. "Hey, you alright?" he asked. I just nodded slowly, with my face still filled with awe.

Soon, the missing prisoners went crazy in their cages, again. I smirked. _Here they are, again._

They were panicking so hard about the fire that occurred and I knew that the real police would be there soon. "Let's get outta here." Lucius said, giving Rain, a pat on the back.

I followed them to the second floor, then to some place which had a hole on the ceiling. It revealed a lot of light in it. _So that's how they got in,_ I thought. We all jumped into the hole, and we were already at the roof. Brick was there, waiting for us. We all climbed him and he somehow managed to jump from building to building. I was about to barf, but I had to grateful that I was far from the jailhouse.

Approximately after thirty-five seconds, Lucius started to scold me. "Gods! How in the world did you get in there?" he started.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I was accused for something I did not do. They were referring to me with some other surname. Fujihara. Gosh! I don't even know why the police are even after me!" I explained.

"Wait! You mean, they were after you, before?

I said nothing.

"Great, after a day of searching for you, I had to learn that as we're continuing this important quest, we have to worry about the cops who are probably waltzing around the city, looking for you!"

"Or someone who looks like her." Rain added.

"It wasn't my fault! Those imbeciles won't even pay attention to what I have to say!" I said, even louder. "I kept telling them that they've got the wrong person, _but no!_ They have to claim that I'm some sort of mental patient."

"Well there's a shock." smirked Lucius.

I glowered at him and shoved the stolen files at him. "Oh sure! Tease me all you want! But I'm telling you! Something's definitely going on!"

"You actually stole those?" rain asked.

I groaned. Men were just impossible to deal with! "Just let me explain!"

The two men exchanged weird looks. Rain shrugged, while Lucius groaned. Bricks then swooped down, and we landed on the top of an apartment building. Lucius then gave me a stern look. "Alright, Miss Know-it-all. Explain."


	8. Chapter 7: Open Forum

CHAPTER SEVEN: OPEN FORUM

We sat by a pigeon cage, and I told them everything. My innermost thoughts, my suspicions, and my theories. I could tell that they were overwhelmed by my discussions, since their eyes were trying their best to keep up with me. Lucius closed his eyes, and raised a hand in renunciation. "Hold up, you met the servant?" he clarified.

I nodded. "This is her." I said, showing them the picture I stole back at the police station. The son of Hades then took it from my hands, and began studying it. Rain went beside him, to take a closer look. They both looked at me, and Lucius raised the picture a little higher. His purple eyes constantly shifted to me and to the picture. "There is a resemblance. Well, almost. Her face is covered with a mask" Rain said, nodding slowly. "The police actually thought this was you?" I nodded again, shamefully.

"Well, the hair is a dead giveaway." Lucius said. "Only, her hair has a little more brown in it. Eve's hair is pure black."

"Not only that, she has a symbol of Hecate." Rain said, pointing at the dog symbol on the girl's bare shoulder. Rain then turned towards me. "So, you fought her."

"Uh-huh." I answered.

"But when she retreated, people suddenly came out of nowhere."

"Yep."

"And you nearly destroyed Mcdonalds."

I was taken aback, for a while. "At least I thought I did."

Rain paused for a moment. "Okay, good." he said, sighing in relief. "Well, you're not the only one who experienced weird stuff."

"What do you mean?"

"While we were battling the black dogs, a pound van passed by." explained Lucius. "We did not know where that van came from, but it shooed the dogs away. The next thing we knew, tons of people were already walking the streets, there were cars everywhere, and it was like the battle never happened. The shops we thought we destroyed were back in one piece. Clearly, this is Hecate's doing."

"She must've cast a spell on the entire city. An illusion." Rain suggested. "She is also known as the goddess of the crossroads. She is known for making her travellers stranded. I'm sure once we set upon her territory, it would automatically turn into a complete ghost town. It would be like civilization never took place, and her black dogs will start howling. As for her servant, well... we're going to have to deal with her first."

Lucius and I nodded in agreement. "Hecate must have rigged the entire City. So I guess we have no choice but to stay together, ALWAYS." he continued. "but why?"

Lucius began scratching his head, thinking very hard of Hecate's vague motives. Then I remembered something.

"The enemy of the past." I murmured.

"What did you say?" Lucius asked.

"I see what Hecate is doing," I said, feeling enlightened. "She is hiding something. And that is the enemy of the past."

"Do you mind on elaborating on that, Masahiro?" Rain said, unconvinced.

"I'm not sure if this is right, but I think Hecate must have a specific spell in creating illusions." I explained. "And then she casted it on this city. Everytime we reach a specific territory, like Times Square and the Jailhouse, the people don't disappear. We do."

"How is that possible?"

"Whenever we reach a territory….. we get teleported to one of her crossroads." I said. "As for the illusion part, she must've created one and implanted it in her roads, so that we could still be convinced that we're still in New York."

"So are you saying were not in New York?" Lucius asked, becoming slightly scared.

"Now we are," I answered. "The pigeons in that cage are living proof that we're in the mortal world. But, if people and animals suddenly disappear and the place becomes absolutely deserted, then that would mean we got teleported in her crossroads."

"Then how did we get back to New York?" Rain asked, overwhelmed.

"By defeating her minions, I guess." I shrugged. "The Laistrygonians from earlier are obviously working for her."

"What does this have to do with the enemy of the past?" Lucius asked.

"I am getting to that." I told him. "As I said earlier, Hecate is hiding something in New York."

"You mean the enemy of the past?"

I nodded. "She must've known that demigods were going to come here, so she devised a plan to distract us before we could reach to it."

"You mean to say," Lucius cupped his chin. "Each time we reach her 'territories', we are automatically brought to the crossroads. She did that so we wouldn't be able to find the enemy."

I grinned. "You got it."

Emo kid scoffed and flexed his calloused fingers. "As expected from someone like her." He said, smirking.

"If that's the case, then we'd better hurry." Rain said, looking ahead with a serious look on his face. "If she's distracting us like this, then that would mean this enemy of the past is not only valuable, dangerous, and strong. Probably big, since it's hiding in this city."

"Yeah, big enough to squash Olympus." Lucius pointed out. Rain nodded.

"So what should we do now?" I asked.

"Find the servant." Rain declared and stood up. "Come on. Let's find these so-called 'crossroads'."

(O u O)

Lucius chanted something in Greek and the Furies somehow came, out of the blue. I shrieked at the sight of them, and I hid behind Rain. I still remembered them from my first bus ride to Teterboro. One of them tried to kill me.

Strangely, they ignored me and followed Lucius' orders in searching for Hecate's 'crossroads'. Rain hauled a taxi and managed to persuade the driver to take us anywhere, by showing off a large amount of cash that Chiron gave him before we left. "New Yorkers." Rain muttered.

We drove around the city for hours and hours, following the Furies. It eventually grew dark. I leaned by the window, thinking of how inferior I seemed.

Lucius had amazing shadowbinding skills, while Rain can control the weather and blast lightning just like his father. They were sons of the Big Three. _Me?_ Well, all I could do is come up with strategies. That's all. I did not have any other special abilities that would vaporize or manipulate an opponent. If these two were the strong elites, then I was probably useless in this quest.

My eyes grew heavy again, fell asleep, and I had another strange dream.

I dreamt….of my mother. She was not in her usual Greek Armour, surprisingly. She just wore a brown coat and brown leather boot. She almost looked like a female version of Sherlock Holmes. I knew it was her right away, for I recognized her long dark flowing hair and her piercing grey eyes. It was dark, extremely foggy, and it was raining, so I wasn't able to make out where she was. But I was able to notice that she was holding something in her arms. Something very delicate.

I followed her quietly to a small Tatami home. My eyes widened. Was this the night when she gave me to my father?

I came closer and hid behind a huge rock at the front yard. She knocked on the door and cradled the delicate thing in her arms. It was a baby she was carrying, no doubt. And I was so sure that it was me she was holding.

My father never explained this incident in full detail. I was afraid to ask him about it, since he was always sensitive and touchy to topics that involved my mother. So not only was I getting drenched, but I could feel my adrenaline pumping hard, apparently feeling the jitters. When the door finally opened, I expected to see my father's face. Instead, I saw a couple. And neither of them had the face of my father.

I raised my brow in confusion. _Isn't this supposed to be the night my father took me in? If it is, then how come my father is nowhere to be found? Could they be people who knew him? _Random thoughts raced through my mind. My life has been very mind-boggling. First, Hecate's irritating goals and this crazy quest, and then this dream. What was my subconscious mind trying to show?

Soon, my mother spoke up. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Fujihara." She said, giving them a bow of respect. "My apologies for my tardiness."

The old couple invited Athena to come inside, but she declined for she had other matters to attend to. I began to roll my eyes, then I suddenly stopped. _Fujihara?_

"Is this the child you speak of?" the man said, peering over the infant.

Athena nodded. "This is Elle."

The woman gave a gentle smile. "Why, she is so pretty."

"I'm sure she'll become a great individual, since she will be under your care." The goddess assured, handing over the bundle of joy to the decent couple.

The woman gently took the child from her. As soon as she did, Athena gave them a bow. "_Arigatou-gozaimasu." _Then she left. Just like that.

All of the sudden, my dream shifted. From land, I was underwater. For some reason, I did not bother to struggle. I just allowed myself to slowly sink lower and lower. Shockingly, I could still breathe and I felt very relaxed. That is, until someone appeared beside me.

It was my freaky twin again. This time, her eyes were close and she looked like she was asleep. Strange, even though we were both underwater, I noticed a tear escaping from her lashes. I just stared at her. Usually, I would run or try to get away from her, but I did not feel fear or anger. I honestly did not know what I felt when I saw her.

I began to wonder who she was. _Is she that girl that my mother gave away? Is she also a child of Athena? Why does she always appear in my dreams? How come I feel connected and drawn towards her?_

I kept on asking myself questions I knew I couldn't answer, until she abruptly opened her eyes.

My eyes flew open and the first thing I saw was Rain's grin. "Hey, Eve." Rain said.

I suddenly blinked my eyes back to reality. "Huh?" was all I could say.

"Man, you look like you've seen Melinoe. You ok?" Lucius asked. I just nodded, only noticing that Rain was actually carrying me like a damsel-in-distress. I struggled to get down, and he gently did so. I ignored him and fixed my dishevelled outfit.

Lucius let out a cough (I could've sworn I heard him snicker in between those coughs). "Good, because Alecto and her sisters picked up movement." I turned to see that we were in front of Central Park Zoo. When we entered, all of the animals were in deep sleep, and there was not a single security guard in sight. Not only that, I stepped on something interesting. It was a box of Pocky. I picked up to see that it was empty.

"What's that, Eve?" Rain asked.

"A box of Pocky." I replied.

"You mean that chocolate stick snack in Japan?" Lucius asked. I nodded.

"Strange it looks... new." I've observed.

"Guys!" rain called. "Check this out!" We all went to where Rain was, and we saw a graffiti painting on the wall. However, it was not just any ordinary graffiti. It looked like the walls were telling a story of some sort. It contained a lot of black dogs, and above them was Hecate (yes, I recognized her) holding two flame torches. There were two beings at each side. One was a person in a dog mask; it was obviously the servant I fought. However, I couldn't tell what the other one was. It looked like...a dragon.

"Could this be some sort of... battle plan?" Lucius asked.

Rain shrugged. "What really bugs me is this creature at the right side. Could this be the enemy of the past?" I stepped towards the wall painting and reached for the camera in my jacket pocket. I took a photo, and a flash came. Afterwards, I looked at the tiny screen of my device. In there, I saw the servant, doing the graffiti art herself. Rain and Lucius came closer to me, and took a glimpse of the moving snapshot. Later, Hecate came into the picture. She started praising her for her masterpiece, and she began treating the girl as if she was her own daughter.

"Could it be that the girl is a daughter of Hecate?" asked Lucius.

"It may be possible. One thing's for sure, this is her territory." I said. Then we heard howling of dogs.

"Here they come." Rain said, wielding Kairos. Lucius got his stygian iron sword out (sorry, the name of his weapon is pretty hard to pronounce.), while I got out my USB rod (I know, I suck at giving names). We all prepared for whoever was going to come out. Soon, we heard a giggle. But we didn't know where it was coming from.

I stayed close to Rain and Lucius, for I had no intentions of fighting alone again. Our eyes kept searching for the petite voice, until I found her on the top of the aviary.

"Above!" I warned my comrades. They immediately looked up and glared at the girl. She was playing with a yoyo, and kept on giggling like a maniac as usual.

"So that's the servant of Hecate." Lucius said, gritting his teeth. Despite his aggressive look, however, I could tell right away that he was expecting something from this girl. It was like he was wishing that she was... Sophie.

The girl sat there for a long time, playing with her yoyo. I couldn't help but notice the toy she had. As she kept playing with it, the yoyo got bigger. It got bigger and bigger, and it eventually turned into her meteor hammer. Rain smirked at this. "Some weapon." he scoffed. The girl with the dog mask continued to giggle. Soon enough, she was no longer sitting on the top of the aviary. It was like she disappeared in thin air.

"Darn! Now where did she go?" Rain muttered.

"Just keep your eyes open! She can appear anywhere!" I said. I was so focused on looking for her around the vicinity, that I failed to notice her flying above us. "Eve! Look out!" Lucius cried, pushing me away. The next thing I knew, a spike ball hit the ground beside me. I glared at our opponent, who was still giggling. I blinked again to see that she was already fighting with Rain. But, it looked like he couldn't land a hit on her. Then I realized he was only distraction. Lucius was already summoning his shadows, and they crept towards her. They were about to grab her, but she was too quick for them. Lucius could not even believe it.

She was right behind me, but I was ready for her. I dodged her meteor hammer, and I hit her chest with my rod. This sent her flying to the monkey cage. I lunged for her, throwing stilettos at her. She managed to dodge them, and she climbed up to the cage. "Oh no you don't!" I said, climbing the cage as well.

When I reached the top, I was greeted by her meteor hammer. But it was a good thing I managed to dodge it.

Eventually, it was just me and the servant.


End file.
